First Time to Italy

I am going to cheat here and say 9 full days = 10 nights in Italy.
Strap yourself in as this will be intense (but fun) ...

Day 0 Arrive Rome (3)
Day 1 Rome sights
Day 2 Rome sights
Day 3 To Sorrento (2) via Pompeii
Day 4 Capri &/or Positano day trip
Day 5 To Florence (3) via Naples
Day 6 Florence sights
Day 7 Siena day trip
Day 8 To Venice (2) via Verona
Day 9 Venice sights
Day 10 To France

Hi Ashley. I don't know where you're going in France or what your travel style is, but if you are into yoga, you may not want David's fast-paced itinerary. I won't suggest an alternative itinerary, but here are a few things to consider.

If you are flying into Italy from the U.S., you'll probably be jetlagged and sleep-deprived. Rome is the worst place to start your trip. It's a big bustling city, easy to get lost, and the best of Rome is to see the sights, which you won't enjoy if you're dragging. Venice is just the opposite. Okay, it's easy to get lost, but fun wandering the back canals, and you are never far from the Grand Canal or a main street. It's the best place to start a trip, because you can take it easy and soak up the special atmosphere while adjusting to the time change.

Florence is all about Renaissance art and architecture. If you love it, 3 days in Florence is barely enough. If you don't, you can see the highlights in one day. Florence has more of a big-city feel than Venice.

For hostels, use hostelworld.com (there's another good site that's similar, but I don't know the name). You can find the hostels in every city, check rates, read descriptions and reviews. If you want a private room, you will need to book in advance. Be careful before you book to read the cancellation policy. Most allow you to cancel 2-7 days in advance without payment, but be sure before you commit.

You can see the sights in Verona as a day trip from Venice OR you can stop on the way between Rome/Florence and Venice. Store your luggage at the train station in the morning and pick it up in the evening.

In general I try to take evening trains to maximize sightseeing time. You can eat picnic dinners on the train and rest after a long day on your feet. Even early October can be pretty hot, which can wear you out. When you plan your itinerary, think in terms of nights, not days. Every time you switch hotels, you have to allow enough extra time to get to/from the hotel/train. Travel time really eats into sightseeing time. Also, check the hostel rules. Some are closed for several hours during the day, so you may not be able to store your bags before heading out to see the sights.

Lastly, there is so much to choose from in Italy, you won't be able to see it all no matter how many times you visit. Choose the places that most call to you and plan an itinerary that suits your travel style.

Ashley, I wouldn't change your plan except that I would delete the day trip to Pompeii. You're going to be horribly jet lagged the day you land so don't count on that as a site seeing day. That leaves 2 days in Rome, which is not enough time to fit in more than just a few of its wonderful sites. Leave the trip to Pompeii, Sorrento, Positano and Capri for when you can devote a week or more in that area.

With only 3 days in these three wonderful cities you really need to be picky about which sites you visit as you don't want to waste time on sites you have no interest in. Get a few good guide books and go over them with your cousin. Make a list of everything you want to see and have your cousin to the same thing. Compare lists and visit the sites you have in common. This way you'll know that what you are visiting is what you really want to see and not just something a stranger suggested.

Your plan is very good and will not have you running around like a chicken with its head cut off. It will give you enough time to do a little exploring and figure out if these three cities are worth a re-visit.

Donna

Ashley, I'm 100% in agreement with Donna's wise advice. Three days in Rome - which may actually be closer to 2.5 days if Day 1 is your arrival day - is very little for a city which offers so much to see and do. It'll take you a day just to become acclimated to the layout and how things, such as local transport, operate.

Pompeii is a long day trip from Rome, is better suited to a hop from the Sorrentine/Amalfi area, and that region as a whole deserves more time that you have to give it. As she has suggested, save all of that for a next trip where you can allow enough days to really enjoy that part of Italy.

So stick to your current plan: you'll save a lot of valuable sightseeing time/money otherwise spent in-and-on transport, and allow you to familiarize yourself with all three cities without going crazy trying to fit everything in. I'd even consider eliminating Siena as Florence is simply packed with oodles of fascinating things to see.

I agree with Cathy.
Also if you want to be guided for your accommodation, you should state the price you would put per night for both of you? Would you consider a 2 bedroom apartment which can save you lot on laundry and restaurants, bars,and so on.
Would you consider only hostels and not bed and breakfast?
Let me know, maybe i can help.

You might also consider a convent, especially in Rome. I recently stayed at Casa Il Rosario, a Dominican convent centrally located a couple of blocks behind the ancient wall of the Forum of Augustus. It was EUR 94 per night for the two of us, including breakfast. Very clean and quiet. The downside to staying in monasteries and convents is that they generally have a nightly curfew, in this case 11 pm; but that was not an issue for us.

For information on lodging in monasteries and convents in Rome and elsewhere, see http://www.monasterystays.com.

Hi there. You ask advice on how to 'break up' your 9 days in Italy: might I suggest taking a day somewhere midway just to sit back and enjoy the experience. Your midway point would appear to be Florence: take a day out from the sightseeing and get into the countryside of Tuscany, it is beautiful. There is a company called Slow Days who do a day trip from Florence to the hilltop towns and vineyards who do precisely this:

http://www.slow-days.com
Reviews: http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g187895-d2169783-Reviews-A_Slow_Day_in_Tuscany-Florence_Tuscany.html

Also, September/October when you plan to visit is still quite warm and harvest season at the vineyards. Enjoy!

Just to remember that the shortest itinerary from Florence or Siena to Venice is not through Verona. Verona is a detour that will add a lot of travel time (just to begin, the bus from Siena arrives near Firenze SMN station but trains to Verona leave from Firenze Campo di Marte).